Using plastic to create a floating platform

ABSTRACT

Example implementations include a system and method of using plastic from bodies of water and creating a floating platform by collecting plastic from a body of water, cleaning the collected plastic, melting and compacting the plastic, molding a plurality of hexagonal blocks from the compacted plastic, stacking the plurality of hexagonal blocks, wherein a system of springs and an energy storage device is provided between each of the plurality of hexagonal blocks, and coating the stacked blocks with a non-toxic material. Through the use of various onboard functionalities, energy may be generated to regulate temperature and provide electricity, oxygen may be supplied, and water may be purified.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No.62/890,261, filed Aug. 22, 2019, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates to floating platforms, and morespecifically, to systems and methods of using plastic from bodies ofwater and creating a floating platform.

Related Art

In related art implementations, solar-powered drone ships may be used tocollect plastic. However, these ships are expensive. Further, thecollected plastic may be transported to a recycling facility to then berecycled or disposed. Thus, the process, while necessary, may becomecostly to operate on a global scale. In other related artimplementations, floating islands, as shown in FIG. 1, have beenenvisioned. However, the current structures may be massive in size, andresources have to be shipped from the land, with massive costs ofoperations.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure include a floating platform comprisinga plurality of hexagonal blocks made from compressed plastic collectedfrom a body of water, a non-toxic coating covering the plurality ofhexagonal blocks, a system of springs coupled to an energy storagesystem, wherein the system of springs are located between each blockcomprising the plurality of hexagonal blocks, a plant cultivation systemlocated at the bottom of each block comprising the plurality ofhexagonal blocks, a photoelectric coating covering the top and sides ofeach floating platform, and a computer configured to control a directionand speed of travel, determine an optimal path of travel, and control aplastic collector and plastic compactor for compressing the plasticcollected from the body of water.

Other aspects of the present disclosure include a method ofmanufacturing a floating platform, the method comprising collectingplastic from a body of water, cleaning the collected plastic, meltingand/or compacting the plastic, molding a plurality of hexagonal blocksfrom the compacted plastic, stacking the plurality of hexagonal blocks,wherein a system of springs and an energy storage device is providedbetween each of the plurality of hexagonal blocks, and coating thestacked blocks with a non-toxic material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a related art implementation of a floating structure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram showing macro areas of plasticaccumulation.

FIG. 3 illustrates a group of floating structures, according to anexample implementation.

FIG. 4 illustrates a process for creating a floating structure,according to an example implementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description provides further details of thefigures and example implementations of the present application.Reference numerals and descriptions of redundant elements betweenfigures are omitted for clarity. Terms used throughout the descriptionare provided as examples and are not intended to be limiting. Forexample, the use of the term “automatic” may involve fully automatic orsemi-automatic implementations involving user or operator control overcertain aspects of the implementation, depending on the desiredimplementation of one of ordinary skill in the art practicingimplementations of the present application.

Plastic in oceans has now become one of the biggest problems humanity isfacing. Research has shown that all fish caught now contain plastic inthe stomach due to consumption. Furthermore, floating plastic has evenbeen found in small pieces in mountains, which was likely transportedvia water evaporation from the oceans and wind.

It is currently estimated that floating plastic represents around 30% ofthe plastic in the oceans, while the remaining 70% is now on the oceanfloor. The plastic on the ocean floor may be partially consumed by fungithat live at certain depths.

There are currently 5 macro areas where plastic has accumulated, andfollows the flow of current. These areas are illustrated in FIG. 2. Themacro area of the Pacific Ocean may be referred to as the Great GarbagePatch, with garbage originating from the Pacific Rim (e.g., Asia, NorthAmerica, and South America).

Most of the plastic does not appear in satellite images because thedensity of plastic at the present moment is around four pieces ofplastic per square meter in these “islands”. However, the pieces ofplastic currently may not form an island visible from above, except forin particular situations near the coasts, because the plastic remains onthe surface of the water. This behavior may be because the density ofplastic is not high enough to cause the plastic to submerge beyond sealevel.

In order to effectively utilize the plastic while reducing some of thenegative effects identified above, a method for using plastic in thewater for creating a floating platform is described herein. The methodmay involve the creation of two special vehicles, as well as a floatingcentral system.

One type of vehicle, hereinafter referred to as the “Type 1 Vehicle”,may have a plastic collection system contained therein. The secondvehicle, hereinafter referred to as a “drone ship”, may automaticallytransport plastic to a floating collection point, and not to the coast,in an optimized manner.

The collection system may collect plastic and clean the collectedplastic. Thus, in this configuration, it is possible to collect plasticin the water itself, without needing to haul plastic back to the coastfor further processing.

Big data and machine learning may help optimize paths, in order toreduce the journey traveled by the vehicle, the number of means oftransport necessary, and the cost of obtaining the material. A computermay be provided with the platforms in order to provide for thisfunctionality, as well as to control the plastic compacting process.

At the central collection point, instead of separating plastic form theremaining garbage and melting it as may happen in a traditionalrecycling center, a plastic compactor may be provided. The plastic maythen be attached, making the plastic pieces a solid of various shapesand sizes as needed (e.g., blocks shown in FIG. 3). Thus, the amount ofenergy required for processing the plastic may be greatly reduced, ascompared to a differentiator and a plastic melting furnace.

In addition to the blocks, other objects and infrastructure may becreated with the collected plastic.

Each compressed block of plastic may be covered with a non-perishablefilm resistant to some of the damaging effects of seawater, in order toprevent dispersion of plastic molecules in the body of water. This filmmay also be non-toxic and non-polluting.

By reducing the plastic surface exposed to water in compressed blocks ascompared to single pieces or plastic veils, the phenomenon of pollutiongiven by the dissolution of plastic may be drastically reduced by over99%.

A primary solid block called a Prisma may be used, which may contain asystem on the lateral sides of the block to interlock with other similarprisms. These solid blocks may be interconnected to create a hexagonalshape similar to that of a beehive, to create an overall floating,multilayer surface (shown in FIG. 3).

The system of hexagons may also be designed to allow for easy extractionfrom the bottom upwards, so as to be able to easily perform maintenanceon each block.

The floating blocks may be buoyant so that they float on top of thewater.

The central compression system may be designed to be as efficient aspossible from the point of view of energy consumed, so that it can beindependent of land and transport fuels. In other words, the centralcompression system may be fully self-sustainable by design byimplementing one or more energy efficient techniques.

In order to be fully self-sustainable, two primary power systems may beutilized. One system may be solar power. The other system may use themovement of marine waves to generate energy.

For the solar energy, the surfaces of the hexagon blocks may be coatedwith a photoelectric material.

For the movement of marine waves, the hexagonal blocks may be stackable.Between each layer of blocks, a system of springs may be installed togenerate energy caused by the movement of the body of water. Further,while generating energy, the springs may reduce the oscillation of thesurface. The springs may be easily replaceable so as to enable easymaintenance.

Energy can be obtained also by leveraging the ups and down movement oftwo near hexagon generated by the wave movement.

The energy may be collected and stored in an energy storage device forfuture use. This energy storage device may be any device known to onehaving ordinary skill in the art.

Further, other similar electromechanical systems known to ones havingordinary skill in the art may be implemented to generate and storeenergy created by the motion of the body of water.

The generated energy may be used to help regulate temperature andprovide electricity to the blocks. The energy may further be utilized tooperate desalination plants, in order to make the blocks self-sufficientin terms of fresh water supply.

The desalination plants may be based on the use of special membranesknown to those having ordinary skill in the art, using both currentsfrom the body of water and the energy generated by the blocks for powerand input resources.

The blocks may also include “rivers” by having concentric circles ofwater that is let in to the block to reduce lateral pressure, and tocreate a lagoon effect. This configuration is similar to that as thelagoon effect in the Venice Peninsula.

Bridges between separated blocks may absorb lateral pressure, and inturn generate electricity through the spring mechanism or otherelectromechanical mechanism as described above. The bridges connectingthe platforms may be positioned at a particular distance to optimize thesolidity of the structure.

The bottom surfaces of the blocks may be covered with algae, kelp,seaweed, and/or other marine plants that produce oxygen. The topsurfaces of the areas of the blocks covering the plants may be coveredwith plates suitable for the climate in which the block may bestationed. The plants may further be covered by a greenhouse within theblock.

The roots of the plants may further provide structural strength atnecessary points. Additionally, other plants such as fruit-producingplants or vegetables may be grown on the blocks.

Within the blocks, systems of water filters, fishing, and sustainableplant cultivation may be carried out, in order to provide a high levelof sustainability. In this manner, outside support may not be required.

Through the above-identified functionalities, human life may besupported with access to heat, electricity, oxygen, food, and cleanwater.

The blocks may also be formed around dismantled oil platforms, which mayfunction as an anchoring system.

While the above implementations describe systems in internationalwaters, the blocks may also be located near a coast while still ininternational waters. The generated blocks may be given to a nationowning the international water area in concession for the achievement ofprojects for humanitarian purposes, and for the purpose of sustainablebusiness.

Management of the population may be foreseen through authorizationslinked to the objectives of the projects built upon the blocks.

A method for creating the formed platforms is described with respect toFIG. 4. In method 400, a plastic collector may collect plastic from abody of water at 405. Then, the plastic may be cleaned at 410. Once theplastic is cleaned, the plastic may be melted and/or compacted at 415.From this compacted plastic, a plurality of hexagonal blocks may beformed at 420.

The plurality of hexagonal blocks may then be stacked at 425, whileproviding a system of springs and energy storage device(s) between eachlayer of the plurality of hexagonal blocks (e.g., between each hexagonalblock). Other electromechanical systems known to ones having ordinaryskill in the art may be implemented to serve the purpose of collectingenergy based on motion.

Once the plurality of blocks are stacked, the stacked blocks may becoated with a non-toxic material at 430.

Although a few example implementations have been shown and described,these example implementations are provided to convey the subject matterdescribed herein to people who are familiar with this field. It shouldbe understood that the subject matter described herein may beimplemented in various forms without being limited to the describedexample implementations. The subject matter described herein can bepracticed without those specifically defined or described matters orwith other or different elements or matters not described. It will beappreciated by those familiar with this field that changes may be madein these example implementations without departing from the subjectmatter described herein as defined in the appended claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A floating platform comprising: a plurality ofhexagonal blocks made from compressed plastic collected from a body ofwater; a non-toxic coating covering the plurality of hexagonal blocks; asystem of at least one spring coupled to an energy storage system,wherein the system of at least one spring are located between each blockcomprising the plurality of hexagonal blocks; a plant cultivation systemlocated at the bottom of each block comprising the plurality ofhexagonal blocks; a photoelectric coating covering the top and sides ofeach floating platform; and a computer configured to control a directionand speed of travel, determine an optimal path of travel, and control aplastic collector drones and plastic compactor for compressing theplastic collected from the body of water.
 2. A method of manufacturing afloating platform, the method comprising: collecting plastic from a bodyof water; cleaning the collected plastic; melting and compacting theplastic; molding a plurality of hexagonal blocks from the compactedplastic; stacking the plurality of hexagonal blocks, wherein a system ofat least one spring and an energy storage device is provided betweeneach of the plurality of hexagonal blocks; and coating the stackedblocks with a non-toxic material.